The Better Brother
“You too,” Lila purred.
My insides ached. I hated that I was sitting there, helpless. I hated feeling like I'd apparently been struck dumb and mute while my friend hit on this insanely hot man. I tried to reason with myself, though—even I had managed to get the guts to take him somewhere to have sex with him, I wouldn't have gone through with it. I always chickened out. I had no idea what to do with a man like Gavin, and at least Lila had some experience.
Knowing that still didn't make the jealousy go away, though. I so badly wanted to be more like her in some respects. I just had no idea how to go about it. I was nowhere near as bold and outgoing as she was.
“You two should come by Hedonistic Heaven sometime,” Gavin said.
I looked up and caught his eye, and he winked at me, which made my face grow warm and my insides—among other things—tingle.
“We'd love to,” Lila said. “We'll see you there?”
“Hell yeah,” Gavin said, running a hand through his thick hair. “Every single night actually.”
“We'll be sure to make it by,” Lila said, her voice sounding so incredibly sexy.
I never knew how she managed to do that—turn her voice so sultry and appealing. When I spoke, I just sounded like me. But when she was putting on her sexy air, she sounded all breathy, like an old Hollywood starlet or something.
“I look forward to seeing you ladies there then,” he said.
I smiled at him as he turned to walk away, but I noticed that he seemed to linger a moment. It was only for only a second and probably meant nothing at all. He smiled back at me and the full weight of those gorgeous brown eyes were on me, and I felt like I might die. Then he was gone, and I could breathe again.
“Holy shit, men like him shouldn't exist,” Lila sighed. “It's not fair to the rest of the guys out there.”
I was still watching him as he walked away, checking out his tight ass. Lila caught me staring and laughed, slapping me playfully in the arm.
“Seems like someone has a crush.”
“He's so out of my league,” I chuckled. “Besides, I wouldn't even know what to do with a man like him.”
“You fuck him,” she said. “That's what you do.”
“Yeah, like it's that easy,” I said, rolling my eyes and settling back down in my lounge chair.
“It would be super easy, trust me,” Lila said. “And I'm sure he wouldn't mind showing you the ropes either. Seems like an alpha male type to me.”
I didn't say anything. A man like him wouldn't be with someone like me—a scared virgin who had no idea how to please a man in bed. I had a feeling Gavin was the kind of guy who liked a woman with a little experience and who knew how to get him off.
That was, unfortunately, not me.
Chapter Three
Josie
“It's the last night, Josie,” Lila pleaded. “Don't you want to see Gavin one more time before we get back to San Diego? It might be your last chance.”
She'd been trying to convince me all week to go to Hedonistic Heaven, and every single night, I'd chickened out. I shook my head, feeling my heart lurch and my stomach tighten as I thought about those dark, dreamy eyes. I wanted to go, but couldn't bring myself to actually do it.
“You go,” I said. “Gavin would probably like you better anyway.”
“No way,” she said. “You're the birthday girl. And besides, he's your man.”
“My man?” I laughed. “Please. He probably has girls all over him already.”
“But wouldn't you want to see that ass just one last time?” she asked.
I couldn't deny it—I wouldn't mind another view of him. I was also curious about what went down in the club that was ‘only for the most open-minded of guests’. After a few days on the cruise, I'd seen just about everything under the sun. Nude sunbathing, swingers looking to hook up with Lila and myself. We'd declined those invitations of course, though Lila looked sorely tempted. We'd been invited to adult party games where I found myself sitting in the corner nursing a drink, because I couldn't bring myself to get undressed or kiss a random stranger. Lila had a lot of fun, though, and I got some much-needed rest, so it hadn't been a complete waste of time.
“Fine,” I muttered.